Trump news: Released impeachment testimony describes Ukraine quid pro quo, as White House chief of staff called to testify
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Your support makes all the difference.A key witness has agreed to cooperate with congress’ impeachment inquiry, as the president faces increasing congressional scrutiny over his behaviour.
Lev Parnas, an indicted businessman who has been linked to the Ukraine scandal is prepared to provide testimony and records to congress, his lawyer said.
Mr Parnas has close ties to Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer.
The news of Mr Parnas's plan to participate came on a busy day in Washington, including revised testimony from US ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who described an effort by the Trump administration to secure a quid pro quo in Ukraine.
The amended testimony essentially reversed his previous testimony on the matter, and prompted the White House to claim that nothing had changed — and maintain that there was no quid pro quo, or anything concerning about his 25 July phone call with Ukraine.
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Another woman is suing the president for defamation after she accused him of sexual assault.
Summer Zervos has filed a defamation lawsuit and her lawyers argue that the phone records it contains support her claims.
The records appear to show that Mr Trump called Ms Zervos on a day in December 2007, when she says she he invited her to dinner.
Ms Zervos alleges that she went to dinner hoping for career advice but that the businessman subjected her to unwanted kissing and groping instead.
Marc Kasowitz, Mr Trump's lawyer, said on Monday that Summer Zervos' claims were "entirely meritless and not corroborated by any documents".
"Donald Trump has doubled down on his call for the media to name the Ukraine whistleblower, praising such a proposal as 'excellent'," reports Andrew Buncome.
"Appearing at at event in Lexington, Kentucky, where the president was purportedly campaigning on behalf on the incumbent governor but spoke much more about himself, Mr Trump invited to the stage senator Rand Paul.
"Mr Paul claimed the whistleblower had once worked for Joe Biden and that the media knew his name.
"'Congress needs to step up... and defend the president,” Mr Paul said. 'To every Republican in Washington step up and subpoena Hunter Biden and subpoena the whistleblower.'"
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Donald Trump has said that Nancy Pelosi should "go home" to San Francisco to clean up "drugs" and "needles" in the streets.
The president continued his attacks on the speaker of the House of Representatives at a rally in Kentucky on Monday night.
"Nancy ought to stop wasting time, go back to her district in San Francisco, help the homeless, get rid of the drugs, get rid of the needles that are lying all over the street and all the things that are washing into the ocean through their storm sewer system," the president said.
The president has repeatedly lashed out at Ms Pelosi as the impeachment inquiry into his alleged behaviour intensifies.
"Donald Trump embraced Washington Nationals pitcher Kurt Suzuki in an awkward hug as the president hosted the World Series-winning team at the White House," reports Phil Thomas.
"The president was praising Suzuki's 'amazing three-run homer' in a speech when he broke off and said: 'Where's Kurt? Where's Kurt? Come here. Come here. Say a couple of words, come on.'
"As he stepped forward Suzuki put on a red MAGA hat to Mr Trump's obvious delight."
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Donald Trump began his morning early on Tuesday by once again furiously criticising the impeachment inquiry into his behaviour.
"The Do Nothing Dems have gone Radical Left Crazy. The can’t get anything done!" Mr Trump said on Twitter.
In case you missed it yesterday, a court has ruled that Donald Trump must hand over tax returns to prosecutors in New York after he lost an appeal against a previous ruling.
"Cyrus Vance Jr, a New York district attorney, has subpoenaed eight years of the president’s personal and corporate tax returns, from 2011 to 2018, and other legal documents from accountancy firm Mazars USA as part of a criminal investigation into hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal," reports Victoria Elliott.
"The president’s legal team had objected to the demand, saying that he would suffer 'irreparable harm' if his tax returns were made available. His lawyers immediately said they would appeal the latest decision.
"Mr Trump himself reacted by claiming the ruling was part of a political plot against him."
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A new poll of US voters, from ABC News and the Washington Post, shows all the leading Democratic presidential candidates beating Donald Trump.
Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law has reportedly told Mr Trump that the Democrats have made an error by pushing forward with an impeachment inquiry.
Mr Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, reportedly believes the move allows the president, the most powerful man in the world, to run as an outsider, according to Mcclatchy.
The president has once again urged people in Kentucky to vote for a Republican for governor.
Matt Bevin in perhaps the US' least popular governor, according to opinion polls, after damaging battles with labor unions and teachers.
But he has taken a narrow lead over his Democratic rival, Andy Beshear, in recent weeks after staunchly defending Trump against the impeachment inquiry.
Congressional investigative committees have scheduled another crucial round of testimony this week as the impeachment inquiry intensifies.
But several key White House witnesses have defied House investigators by failing to turn up to the sessions.
Four witnesses in the Ukraine case, including John Eisenberg, deputy counsel to the president for national security affairs and legal adviser to the National Security Council, skipped their closed-door depositions on Monday.
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